Ideas, Insight & Inspiration

Skyrocket your success!

Join the thousands who have signed up for their FREE subscription by entering your
email address above. As a welcome gift, I will send you a Free Access Pass to my digital
seminar, Unlocking Your Creative Genius. In it, you’ll learn 9 myths and misconceptions
about creativity, 23 hacks to boost your creativity, 4 creative styles, and more!

Differentiate YOU

That amazing array of honey products got me thinking about personal brand. We are all at a fair of sorts. Whether the marketplace or in your social circles, there are many others competing for time, for opportunity. How do YOU differentiate YOU?

Most of us don’t think about a conscious plan for standing out. We have learned to blend in. But great leaders stand out. Work that is extraordinary captures our attention. If you fail to stand out, you will be passed over at promotion time. Overlooked in the marketplace. Ignored for the most important opportunities.

Some work stands out so much that it generates that viral buzz that the media savors. If it makes you uncomfortable just thinking about that type of attention, I have good news. It often is tiny differences that make the big difference. Success often happens at the margin. If your work is only slightly better, you have an enormous advantage. Often we look with interest at the shocking or spectacular, but settle for purchasing or consuming something closer to our version of normal. The choice we make, however, is usually one that is just ahead of the competition.

Are you a leader? Leaders do not blend in. They don’t hide their unique qualities.

It’s a honey festival. What would you expect? Honey! And honey is a commodity, right? It’s all the same. If you want honey for a recipe, or to add to some hot tea, you pick up some honey at the store.

My view of honey completely changed when I attended the Lithopolis Honey Festival last year. I left not only with new information about honey, but also with observations on how to make nearly any business stand out.

Arriving at the festival, I see the streets have been closed to allow for tents to fill the streets. People are everywhere, crowding the vendors. With so many people milling about, how do the honey manufacturers attract customers?

As my family walks down the street, we stop to visit each table. I begin to notice how wrong I am about honey. There are innumerable ways that each company is different.

STAND OUT

Don’t sell a product. Entertain the audience. Crowds gather around to see “Bee Beard.” That’s where a man of perhaps questionable sanity has somehow managed to create a beard made of hundreds of bees, extending down his body and circling his head. From the number of people crowding around, it’s clear that this team is successful. It’s hard not to stop and take a look.

Use personality to develop loyalty. Some honey producers were present in the aisles with a friendly smile. They were not accosting or overly aggressive. These savvy customer service honey sellers met us in an engaging way, answering questions. Somehow in the first minute, we know the history of the business and the family. You don’t need an academic study to know that you are more likely to buy from someone you know.

Create unexpected flavor. Did you know that honey could come in cinnamon or raspberry? Resisting the chance to try various flavors is futile, so we stop and taste a few. Now we are comparing notes, sharing tastes. Engaging with a product in this way increases the sale opportunity.

It Started With A Question

“Are you ready for the best cab ride of your life?”

When the door slammed shut, Scott McKain wasn’t only taking a cab ride to his hotel. He was embarking on one of the greatest customer experiences he could imagine. Not only would Scott enjoy a memorable cab ride, he would exit that taxi with lessons that can make a difference in every business.

“

Research: 73% of customers will do business with you because of friendly employees.

The taxi driver, Taxi Terry, didn’t know that he had just picked up my friend, bestselling author, extraordinary professional speaker, and customer service expert Scott McKain. Of all the people in the world to pick up at the airport, Taxi Terry picked up a global expert in standing out, in the art of distinction. In fact, he is the Chairman of the Distinction Institute.

That simple, enthusiastic question, directed to an exhausted traveler one night was the beginning of a customer experience that tens of thousands of people have learned from. Scott has presented the lessons he learned to audiences around the world. And the lessons are now available in a new book, one that will inspire you. 7 Tenets of Taxi Terry is sure to be one of the enduring business books that will come up in conversations everywhere (yes, even in a cab!).

“

“If you want your business to get better, the first step is for you to get better.” –Scott McKain

Do You Want to Create Memorable Customer Experiences?

In an increasingly competitive marketplace, how can you make your business stand out?

When you’re competing for the job or the promotion, how do you not only differentiate yourself from others but distinguish yourself as the best candidate?

What do you do when you’ve already taken your business from good to great, but great doesn’t cut it?

Creating Distinction

Scott McKain is a global expert in the art of distinction. In an increasingly competitive marketplace, Scott helps companies rise above mediocrity and sameness to achieve record growth. His own career is also distinctive. He’s one of my favorite professional speakers. He is both a member of the Speaker’s Roundtable and the Speakers Hall of Fame. He’s a bestselling author and also a personal friend.

Whether in the boardroom or on the platform, Scott is passionate about helping businesses and individuals create distinction. His latest award-winning book is called Create Distinction. I love what the subtitle adds: What to Do When Great Isn’t Good Enough to Grow Your Business.

Do you ever feel that way? That your business is great, but in the world we are in, great just isn’t good enough? What do you do?

Scott McKain offers what he calls “The Four Cornerstones of Distinction”:

Clarity

Creativity

Communication

Customer-Experience Focus

CLARITY

The first cornerstone of distinction is clarity. This requires you to define who you are, what you’re about, and, just as importantly, who you are not.

“

Clarity means you are precise about who you are—and just as exact about who you are not! Scott McKain